Method, apparatus, and program product for presenting gaming results through a player decision field

• US 7,708,627 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Lind, Jefferson C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/201,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20070060341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

A decision field is displayed having a number of result tokens spaced apart at different locations about the decision field, with each result token displaying a respective potential result. A decision point is also displayed within the decision field. This decision point is associated with two or more direction options which are preferably graphically depicted along with the decision point, and the player is enabled to make a direction input to select one of the direction options. Once the player has made their direction input to select one of the direction options associated with the decision point, a graphically depicted player token is caused to traverse the decision field along a player token path that includes a path portion associated with the selected direction option. The player token path may eventually intersect one or more result tokens of the decision field and the player is then awarded the potential result displayed by the respective result token or tokens intersected by the player token path.

Claims

1. A method including:

(a) displaying, on a display at an electronic player station, a decision field having a number of result tokens spaced apart at different locations about the decision field, each result token displaying a respective potential result;

(b) displaying a decision point within the decision field, the decision point being associated with two or more direction options;

(c) enabling a player to make a direction input at the electronic player station, the direction input selecting one of the direction options associated with the decision point;

(d) causing a player token to traverse the decision field along a player token path in response to the direction input, the player token path including a path portion associated with the selected direction option; and

(e) awarding the player the potential result displayed by a respective one of the result tokens intersected by the player token path.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

(a) displaying one or more additional decision points within the decision field, each respective additional decision point being associated with two or more additional direction options;

(b) enabling the player to make a respective additional direction input for each respective additional decision point, the respective additional direction input selecting one of the additional direction options associated with the respective additional decision point for which the respective additional direction input is made; and

(c) causing the player token to traverse the decision field along a respective additional portion of the player token path in response to the respective additional direction input, the respective additional portion of the player token path being associated with the respective additional direction option selected by the player for the respective additional decision point.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the result tokens are spaced apart along at least a portion of the periphery of the decision field.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more result tokens are located in an interior portion of the decision field.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the decision field comprises a representation of a two-dimensional area, where one or more locations about the decision field have three or more adjacent locations about the decision field, so that when the player token traverses the decision field, the player token moves directly from a respective one of the one or more locations to any of the respective three or more adjacent locations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the decision field comprises a representation of a three-dimensional area.

7. The method of claim 1 further including obtaining a result for a game play, mapping the player token paths and associating the direction options with the obtained result, and completing the player token path so that the player token intersects a result token having a potential result equal to the obtained result.

8. The method of claim 1 further including:

(a) correlating a first game play result to a first direction option associated with the decision point and correlating a second game play result to a second direction option associated with the decision point; and

(b) causing the player token path to intersect a respective one of the result tokens that displays a potential result equal to the respective result correlated to the direction option selected by the player.

21. The method of claim 1, further including misdirecting a player by causing the player token to traverse the decision field along the path portion associated with the selected direction option, and then redirecting the player token along a second path portion different from the path portion associated with the selected direction option.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first path portion leads toward a first award amount, and the second path portion leads toward a second award amount, and the first award amount is greater than the second award amount.

23. The method of claim 7, wherein completing the player token path mapped to the obtained result requires an additional decision point associated with two or more additional direction options.

9. An apparatus including:

(a) a display device;

(b) a player input device;

(c) a presentation processor, the presentation processor for (i) causing the display device to display a decision field having a number of result tokens spaced apart at different locations about the decision field with each result token displaying a respective potential result, and to display a decision point within the decision field, the decision point being associated with two or more direction options, for (ii) receiving a direction input entered through the player input device, the direction input selecting one of the direction options associated with the decision point, for (iii) causing the display device to display a player token traversing the decision field along a player token path in response to the direction input, the player token path including a path portion that is determined by the direction option selected by the player through the direction input and intersecting a respective one of the result tokens displaying a respective potential result equal to a game play result to be awarded to a player.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further including a result processor operatively connected for communication with the presentation processor, the result processor communicating the game play result to the presentation processor in response to a result requesting input entered through the player input device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the display device, the player input device, and the presentation processor are associated with a player station and the result processor is located remotely from the player station.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the result processor conducts a bingo game to identify the game play result to be awarded to the player.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the result processor identifies the game play result to be awarded to the player from an electronic lottery record.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the presentation processor is also for generating the game play result to be awarded to the player according to a result generating algorithm.

15. A program product stored on one or more computer readable devices, the program product including:

(a) decision field program code executable to cause a display device to display a decision field having a number of result tokens spaced apart at different locations about the decision field and to display a decision point within the decision field, the decision point being associated with two or more direction options, and each result token displaying a respective potential result;

(b) player interface program code executable to receive a direction input initiated by a player, the direction input selecting one of the direction options associated with the decision point;

(c) player token control program code executable to display a player token in the decision field and to cause the player token to traverse the decision field along a player token path in response to the direction input, the player token path including a path portion determined by the direction option selected through the direction input and intersecting one of the result tokens displaying a respective potential result that is equal to a game play result to be awarded to the player.

16. The program product of claim 15 further including result identifying program code executable to identify the game play result.

17. The program product of claim 16 wherein the result identifying program code is executable to conduct a bingo game to identify the game play result.

18. The program product of claim 16 wherein the result identifying program code is executable to identify the game play result from a respective lottery record selected from a group of electronic lottery records.

19. The program product of claim 15 wherein the result identifying program code is executable to generate the game play result from a result generating algorithm.

20. The program product of claim 15 further including:

(a) result correlation program code executable for correlating a first game play result to a first direction option associated with the decision point and correlating a second game play result to a second direction option associated with the decision point; and

(b) wherein the player token control program code is executable to cause the player token path to intersect a respective one of the result tokens that displays a respective potential result that is equal to the respective result correlated to the direction option selected by the player.